LeBron James (Image Credit: Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers recently suffered a disappointing 93-103 defeat against the Miami Heat. Despite a strong performance from LeBron James, who scored 29 points, dished out eight assists, and grabbed five rebounds, the Lakers couldn’t secure a victory. This loss has drawn significant criticism from fans and analysts.
On a recent episode of “Gil’s Arenas,” host Gilbert Arenas and his co-hosts discussed the Lakers’ recent struggles, including a previous 40-point loss (referring to cumulative losses over two games).
Arenas suggested a possible reason for the poor performance, implying that James and his teammates might be prioritizing partying in Miami over focusing on the game. He humorously mimicked players’ supposed excitement about playing in Miami, acting out a phone call where they prioritize clubbing and bottle service upon arrival.
The Lakers are facing a tough start to the 2024-25 NBA regular season. Following a close 132-134 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, they currently hold the 10th spot in the Western Conference standings. LeBron James also commented on the Hawks game in a post-game interview.
Despite the team’s struggles, James delivered an outstanding performance in the overtime loss to the Hawks, recording a triple-double with 39 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.
With James approaching his 40th birthday this month, speculation about his potential retirement is growing. In a recent interview, James addressed these questions, stating that he has “a lot to think about” regarding his future in basketball.
The Lakers currently have a 12-11 record in the 2024-25 NBA regular season. Fans remain cautiously hopeful for improvement as they anticipate their upcoming game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
LeBron James Reveals Why He Stepped Away From Lakers
LeBron James explained his two-game absence from the Los Angeles Lakers as he returned to the basketball court Dec. 15.
LeBron James might have been down, but he’s not out.
After being forced to miss two games with the Los Angeles Lakers in an eight-day span, the NBA forward re-emerged Dec. 15 to help his team score a 116-110 win against the Memphis Grizzlies—though he was reluctant to step away to treat a foot injury.
“If it was up to just me, I probably would’ve played,” James told reporters of his brief hiatus following the Lakers’ victory, per ESPN. “It would’ve been hard to keep me away from it. I have a team and I got to listen to them as well. They look out for my best interest.”
The time away seemed to pay off, as he contributed 18 points to the team’s final total against the Grizzlies.
“I had an opportunity to take more days and get my mind, body and everything where I wanted it to be for tonight,” James continued. “And it worked out.”
But the basketball veteran—who turns 40 on Dec. 30—still kept busy during his downtime, noting that he did “a lot of rehabbing, a lot of training still to make sure that I was ready to go tonight. Didn’t want to get too much out of shape.”
Looking ahead, Lakers coach JJ Redick said he would work to give the four-time NBA champion more breaks to avoid having him miss full games.
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“Not necessarily less minutes,” Redick told reporters in a post-game press conference, per EPSN, “but shorter runs so that he’s not getting gassed and then quicker segments on the bench and then he’s back in.”
While James previously expressed his desire to hit the court for all 82 games of the regular season, his coach was more pragmatic about the goal.
“I don’t know that’s in the best interest of him and us if he does that,” Redick cautioned as he spoke to reporters Dec. 2, according to ESPN, “but if he’s feeling well and feeling good, then he should play. But we obviously want to … manage that as best we can.”
As the NBA legend logs his first season playing alongside son Bronny James, read on for more on them and other athletes whose love of the game runs in the family.
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LeBron James and Bronny James
Bronny James (born LeBron James Jr. on born Oct. 6, 2004) played high school basketball for Chatsworth Sierra Canyon in the San Fernando Valley before graduating to the university of Southern California.
While the NBA schedule has often kept LeBron from being able to attend a full slate of his son’s games, he’s been known to go to great lengths to watch Bronny in action. In fact, he once chartered a plane on an off-day to catch Sierra Canyon play against his own alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio.
“To go watch my son play…and also versus my alma mater,” LeBron told reporters, “it’s a pretty surreal, come-full-circle, unbelievable thing.”
In June 2024, Bronny was drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers, making him and LeBron the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time.
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Dwyane Wade and Zaire Wade
Also helping to make up the Sierra Canyon all-star squad? Zaire Wade, the eldest son of retired Miami Heat star (and former LeBron James teammate) Dwyane Wade.
“You’ve got to embrace it,” Zaire, who transferred there in December 2019 from Florida, told Yahoo! Sports about the unusual amount of attention being paid to his team. “There are cameras on us wherever we go. There has been a lot of attention on me my whole life, but this is crazy. This is another level.”
However, Zaire—unhappy with the lack of playing time he ended up getting—announced on Instagram In April 2020 that he’d be transferring to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, Fla.
Zaire was the 10th pick in the 2021 NBA G League draft, joing the Salt Lake City Stars. He went on to play for Cape Town Tigers of the Basketball Africa Leagu before signing with the of the ASEAN Basketball League in April 2024.
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Chad Johnson and Cha’iel Johnson
The retired football star has a daughter who may be able to leave him in the dust by now. After all, Cha’iel Johnson is a track and field star who competed in the 2017 AAU Junior Olympics at 12, winning the girls’ 800-meter run.
She ran for St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida, before joining the University of Kentucky athletics team.
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Shaquille O’Neal and Shareef O’Neal
The NBA Hall of Famer’s third-eldest child, who measures up at 6-foot-10, played college basketball for UCLA before being sidelined with a heart condition that required surgery.
After missing out on his 2018-19 season with the California-based school, he transferred to Louisiana State, where there’s a 900-pound bronze statue of Shaq outside the LSU Basketball Practice Facility in honor of its famous alum.
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Shaquille O’Neal and Amirah O’Neal
Shaq’s 6-foot-2 daughter (pictured here with her brother Shareef O’Neal) announced her LSU enrollment in 2020 to join her sibling in playing college basketball for the school.
“One of the most difficult decisions for a person my age to make, is the jump from high school to college,” she shared at the time. “Although I don’t fully know what’s ahead of me, I am ready for the challenge. I never imagined myself saying this, but I am excited to say that I have decided to commit to being a student athlete at LSU along side my brother Shareef O’Neal. I am Sooooo grateful to spend my next 4 years as a Tiger.”
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Zack Randolph and MacKenly Randolph
The eldest daughter of two-time NBA All-Star Zack Randolph played basketball alongside fellow NBA star scion Izela Arenas, daughter of Gilbert Arenas, during her studies at Sierra Canyon.
“I went to Michigan State under coach Tom Izzo,” Randolph told the Los Angeles Times in December 2020. “He was a dog. Just hard. The boys you can be a little rough with. The girls, they have you wrapped around your finger. The girls look at you, ‘Dad, I’m trying.’ You have a special spot for the girls.”
MacKenly said she’d beaten her dad three times in one-on-one, quipping, “He doesn’t play any defense.”
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Terrell Owens and Terique Owens
The 6-foot-3 son of the NFL Hall of Famer committed to Florida Atlantic University in 2019 as a preferred walk-on. Terique played basketball for most of his life before switching to football as a teen. He got his post-high school playing career off the ground at Contra Costa Community College before transferring.
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Scottie Pippen and Scotty Pippen Jr.
After a brief stint on the NBA G-League affiliate the South Bay Lakers, Scotty Jr. signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2024.
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Dennis Rodman and Dennis “DJ” Rodman Jr.
The former Chicago Bulls star and five-time NBA champion is a lot of things—and a dad is one of them.
His son Dennis Rodman Jr.—or DJ—played basketball and football at Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, Calif. After graduation, he became a forward at Washington State, before transferring to University of Southern California in 2023.
“He’s one of the more under-rated or unknown players in Southern California,” his high school coach, Ryan Schachter, told the Orange County Register after a game in 2017.
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Dennis Rodman and Trinity Rodman
Though Dennis’ son DJ followed his footsteps into basketball, his daughter Trinity Rodman carved her own path in the world of soccer. After the COVID-19 pandemic canceled her freshman season with the Washington State Cougars, she went professional and joined Washington Spirit in 2021 and United States women’s national soccer team in 2022.
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Tiger Woods and Charlie Woods
It’s only fitting that golfing’s GOAT has a kid who’s got mad skills on the course. Charlie Woods made his televised-golf debut at the age of 11 alongside his dad at the 2020 PNC Championship.
When asked if he had been working on his swing ahead of the father-son outing, the 15-time major champion said, “I haven’t put in any time. I don’t really care about my game. I’m just trying to make sure that Charlie has the time of his life and is able to enjoy all of this.”
